Briar Rose by Jana Oliver

but apparently no one dared leave the field. Finally, in the distance came the creaking of
wheels, and this time it was a small cart. Inside it was a man, his shirt ripped and his back bloodied, as if he’d been whipped. Heavy shackles hung from his wrists.
    ‘It’s him!’ Briar hissed. ‘The man who boarded his horse.’
    ‘Yes, it is,’ Ruric replied flatly. ‘I warned him, but they never listen. At least I got a good mare out of the deal.’
    She stared up at him, surprised at his callousness. ‘That’s really cold.’
    ‘I am certain it is, but I shall make no apology.’
    Townspeople began to yell insults at the poor wretch as he was marched in front of the crowd. After another trumpet blast, the footman came forward and unfurled a piece of paper.
    ‘This man,’ he cried out, ‘from the village of Henkel, did attempt to harm the Sleeping Princess, the one known as Aurora. In her mercy, the regent has granted him death for
his heinous crimes.’
    ‘That’s mercy? What’s worse than death?’ Briar exclaimed, drawing looks from some of those around her.
    ‘A number of things,’ Ruric said. ‘I’ll explain it all
later
.’
    The prisoner was forced to the centre of the field and given a sword. From Briar’s vantage point, it looked old and rusty, as if it was just a prop, not a true weapon. The man shouted his
anger, but he dared not attack, not with the mounted horsemen watching his every move.
    ‘There is no princess!’ the noble cried out to the crowd. ‘It’s all a lie! I have seen the truth for myself.’
    Boos came from the villagers, along with a few rotten vegetables, which he ducked as best he could. As the missiles continued, the regent opened the top of the voluminous bag and extracted
something round and spiked, like a curled-up metallic hedgehog. Placing it on a black-gloved hand, she blew on it, her breath turning into a fine copper mist the instant it left her mouth.
    ‘What is she doing?’ Briar whispered.
    ‘Magic,’ Ruric replied grimly. ‘Watch carefully.’
    To Briar’s delight a tiny bird formed on the woman’s palm. After another breath, its creator tossed it in the air. Briar watched in fascination as it grew larger, and then larger
still. So large that its wingspan was at least twelve feet.
    The villagers murmured in awe. A few little kids began to cry, fearful of the creature. From what Briar could tell, it appeared to be a buzzard, one with a cruel hooked beak and long talons. As
it glided into the air, the sun glinted off it, nearly blinding her.
    ‘It’s metal,’ she exclaimed, astounded at the sight. ‘It shouldn’t be able to fly.’
Unless it has an engine somewhere.
    ‘Alas, flying is not all it does,’ Ruric replied.
    As it sailed overhead for one long pass, testing its wings, the bird momentarily cast a shadow over the man below. Without warning, it dived at him out of the sun, as if it knew the condemned
man wouldn’t be able to see it. A few of the villagers cried out in alarm and that was the only reason it didn’t hook its claws into him as it swooped low above the ground. He vainly
tried to stab at a wing to wound it, but missed. Knocked off his feet, he scrambled to avoid one of the talons as it raked near him. The buzzard rose high in the air, gained speed and then made
another run, again with the sun behind it.
    Birds were smart, but this thing had a vicious cunning to it.
    Briar began to shiver when the metal monster managed to grab on to the prisoner and haul him off the ground. The man tried to hack at one of the legs, but the sword had no effect. When the
buzzard reached the zenith of its flight, it set its captive free and his piteous screams lasted until he impacted the ground with a solid thump.
    ‘Oh my God!’ Briar cried.
    Ruric pulled her close, burying her face in his shirt.
    ‘Is it over now?’ she whimpered.
    ‘No,’ Ruric said. ‘The beast has landed.’
    Against her better sense, Briar turned in time to see the